The Unconventional Guide to Dealing with Noisy Neighbors

I’ve been there. Oh yes, I’ve been there. At my very first apartment I laid awake night, after night, after night… listening to the un-soothing sounds of wall-shaking bass guitar. Or so I thought. When I reached the breaking point and walked next door to (kindly) ask said neighbor if he would mind practicing during the day rather than during the wee hours of the night, I discovered that in fact he was not a musician. Indeed, he was playing video games at ridiculous volume levels. Video games.

The story ends well though…

After a friendly conversation, he agreed to lower the volume.

I’m keenly aware that not all noisy neighbor dealings end so well. Do a YouTube search for “noisy neighbors” and you’ll find all kinds of video proof (some funny, some down-right bizarre). No one wants to live in misery – and if you’re losing sleep because of noisy neighbors, it won’t be long before misery sets in. So let’s take a look at some creative, somewhat unconventional ideas for dealing with loud neighbors in your apartment complex.

(By-the-way, the methods that are often most effective are: having a kind, courteous conversation with the neighbor; talking with your landlord; or reporting it to the police. Sometimes all of the above are necessary.)

When you’re dealing with noisy neighbors, be sure to obey the law. “Fighting fire with fire” by being just as noisy may be tempting, but it’s normally not the best route. If there are noise ordinances, you can get yourself in trouble. Check out this story about an elderly couple who played Iron Maiden through the night to get back at their noisy neighbors – they were charged with harassment (not good). So, be sure you’re responsible as you deal with your noisy neighbors.

Tips for Dealing with Noisy Neighbors Creatively

Rename your Wi-Fi. Try “BeQuietApt121” or “TurnDownYourMusicUpstairs”. They might get the hint!

Redecorate: Soundproof your apartment. You can take some corkboards (a sound buffering material) and cover them in some decorative fabric. Just follow these directions from Ashley Thunder Events. You can cover a whole wall in decorative corks, and that should take care of a lot of the noise issue.

Take over a gift relating to the noise. If you hear drums playing, get your neighbor drum sticks. In the note, write “I can hear that you are a drummer, so here are more sticks. Maybe you could only play during the day.”

Leave them not-so-subtle hints. Find a brochure from the local hearing aid store. Let them know you understand they might be hard of hearing since they play their TV so loud, so you wanted to help.

Cope with the noise. Get a white noise machine to drown them out, buy some stylish headphones to wear, or get some ear plugs for bedtime.

I hope this list give you some alternative ways for dealing with your noisy neighbors. If you have other suggestions for dealing with the noise level, leave a comment. I can't wait to hear your (nice) ideas.